Shopping Trip 2

So we went towards Ottawa on our second shopping trip.  We were focused on a 37' Amerosport, and trying to see different brands, so we have a better idea of the layouts, storage, and space when we look at pics online.

The 37' Amerosport was pretty much what we expected.

I did not like the round dinette/couch any more in real life than I had in the pictures. While fetching things from the side cupboard wasn't as bad as I had imagined, the couch piece on the starboard side was worse.  It would make a fantastic big bed, but as you recall, I have no intentions of sleeping there.  A big bed for potential over night guests.  Kids and wives and grand kids someday?  Nope.  I don't even want to use the dinette as a bed then.  They can use the Peter space, or sprawl out on the deck.  As a couch- awkward and uncomfortable at best.  It is removable, with built in storage behind, but not enough space to put in any sort of comfy couch.

Front berth storage was excellent, and accessing the drawers with the v-shaped space filled in would be less awkward than I had imagined.  The shower was less than I expected, somewhat narrow, with a low ceiling - minimal space to get under the water flow.  I think there was actually more space in the 32' in front of the toilet.

The aft cabin - the Peter room - would only ever be the Peter room - a single bunk with storage.  We had talked about turning it into a second dinette (computer room) when Pete leaves us.  As it turns out, there are heat and air conditioning units under the bunk - large motors that would not retrofit well for the space.

Overall, it was just kind of dark and dreary and not very homey feeling.

We looked at a 32' Fairline, which had possibility, except for the twin BMW engines.  Would parts/breakdowns be an issue?  We weren't in love enough to take that risk.  The broker for these boats was great- insightful, informative, patient, and not pushy.

We traveled down river for about an hour, to check out the next boat.  The marina and winter storage were awesome here.  We were a bit early, so we chatted with the mechanic, who called the owners, who rushed over and would have taken us to the boat if we had known it's name.  They were all very friendly, welcoming, eager to please.  All the boats there are stored indoors for winter, prices are reasonable, and the location is great.  We may rent a slip here, regardless of what we buy.

Once the broker arrived, we went to see the boat.

Chris Craft 333 Sedan

Well...  I did not expect to like this boat.  The pictures, once again, did not do it justice.  Skipper found the ad for it about half an hour before we left home, and I did not take the time to really scour the pics and consider it, just a vague cursory glance at the time.

The layout below is similar to the 32' Amerosport we saw in Orillia.  Small galley, side dinette with window sill storage, front berth with storage below, locker on starboard side, the couch converts to bunk beds (barely visible), good sized head with shower.

Some good differences... the floor is wood.  I hate carpet.  Bigger windows.  Hanging cupboards over the dinette.  Supports for the upper bunk are better - making it an actual bunk.  Wide open 'ceiling' from the cockpit, down the stairs to the galley.  Very open and bright. 

Some bad differences...  No drawers under the dinette, only 'pull the cushions off storage wells'.  No in floor storage.  It's solid, which could create issues with balancing weight.  A small cupboard with sink in the berth.  Small sink in the galley.  Bed is oddly narrow at the foot end.  No windows/window sill storage in berth.  Stove is a portable butane single burner - same as we used on The Kayak Chaser.

Just different...  The cockpit/upper salon is essentially empty.  There's storage in both side walls, an adjustable Captain's chair at the helm, and the top of the galley cupboards doubles as a counter top/chart table.  Access to the engines is in the roughly 10' wide x 5' long empty salon space.  There are two lawn chairs and a small table included, that fit the length of the port side, easily removable for engine access.  Easily replaceable with something like this:

Convertible Sleeper Sofa Double Lounge Chair

Which could potentially make the cockpit 'the Peter room', while maintaining it's usefulness in the future.

Through sliding glass doors, we walk out onto the aft deck.  Another 5' or so of open space.  2 deck chairs and a small deck box are included for this space.  Below deck there is a large storage room.  Big enough for tools, or toys, or my canner and a pantry...  A ladder through the custom built tonneau cover provides access to the fly bridge.  The walk around deck is roughly 12" wide.

Additionally, this boat also comes with bow and stern thrusters, a small 2Kw generator, heat, ac, electric windlass...  and more.

I can see us living on this boat.  I can easily access all areas of the boat.  Docking and lines should be a breeze.  Staying out of each other's way should be easy.  Changes we would want to make should be manageable.

All we need to do is get on the boat.  5 steps up the swim ladder.  3 steps down the transom.  Carrying groceries, laundry, supplies...  Ouch.  It's a high boat! 

We decided to put an offer in on this boat.  We didn't bother going to see the rest of the boats on our list.  We went home early, feeling like we were finished with the shopping.  That's when we found out it was an open cooling system.  Debate. 

We don't plan to be in salt water for a few years, but eventually...  Changing to a closed cooling system is expensive.  But not as expensive as bow and stern thrusters, which the majority of the boats in this size/price range do not have.

We decided to go ahead with the offer.  Then we called the marina for slip prices.  The 32' boat was suddenly 37' - swim platform and pulpit.  Since mooring/docking/and storage are all calculated by the foot, the 5' increase changes our costs for the future.  More debate.

It's not that the extra 5' is a deal breaker.  It's just that we've been trying to stick with the under 35' boat range for the budget.  The swim platform on this boat is less than 2'.  We were planning on a 4' platform.  The pulpit is 3'.  We hadn't even taken that into consideration.  We don't know if it's original, or if we can change it.  The anchor on the boat right now is too small.   We might need that space when we install our 35 pound plow anchor.  Replacing the swim platform will put us at 39-40'.  So the question really, is it worth paying for 40' slips for a 32' boat?  An actual 40' boat has, well, a whole lot more boat...

That debate isn't settled yet.  We are going to go ahead with the offer, though we probably won't be willing to move much on price.  We will also continue scouring the internet, and shopping, until the deal is finalized.  Because until the money changes hands, we now know there's a lot that could alter our feelings, and calling it quits a day early was the wrong decision.  The boats that we didn't see might have been more to our liking overall.